M/W PhD in Archaeology

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Application Deadline : 27 February 2024

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Offer title : M/W PhD in archaeology_DC7 : HORIZON Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network ArCHe “Archaeological Coastal Heritage: Past, Present and Future of a Hidden Prehistoric Legacy" (H/F)
Reference : UMR6566-MARDAI0-004
Number of position : 1
Workplace : RENNES
Date of publication : 15 December 2023
Type of Contract : PhD Student contract / Thesis offer
Contract Period : 36 months
Start date of the thesis : 1 September 2024
Proportion of work : Full time
Remuneration : 3957,60 monthly (gross salary (gross salary including compulsory deductions under national law)
Section(s) CN : Humans and environments: evolution, interactions

DC7 “The meaning of prehistoric shell-middens: From their common background to their singularity”
The aim is to complete and interpret and interdisciplinary database to describe and understand the maritime lifestyles that gave rise to the shell-middens.The project is one of 10 PhD project in the HORIZON Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network ArCHe “Archaeological Coastal Heritage: Past, present and future of a hidden prehistoric legacy” .

Objectives:
Prehistoric shell-middens as residues of gathering and living at the coast are a clue to understand the way of life of Holocene living near the coast. They can give us an access to hunter-fisher-gatherer (HFG) activities, their diet, their residence mode, the organization of their settlement, and of their territory all around their living place or places. Our knowledge on shell-middens in different regional settings along the East Atlantic facade is varied, because of both their diversity in original composition and the different involvement of archaeologists through time. The objective of DC7 is to compile all the archaeological data from artefacts to bioarchaeological data on prehistoric shell-middens for a novel interdisciplinary, cross-regional summary and scientific evaluation including geomatic statistics, and to establish a citizen tool accessible to researchers to compare shell-middens from different areas. Such a database is necessary to overcome the frontiers between countries and to collect and compare the diversity of archaeological remains (spatial data of the sites, archaeozoology, lithic technology). A first version of this database is already existing, but it is necessary to update it. DC7 will seek methods to cross-reference archaeobiological and archaeological data. This data will be geo-referenced, which will allow to draw up the spatial distribution of e.g. artefact types or bioarchaeological data. This project will use geomatics statistics, where statistic tests will allow to differentiate what is common to most of these residue heaps and what is particular. Are their particularities linked to economic or social factors? The process of neolithization e.g., with the change from HFG to agrarian societies, is diverse and complex, and this database will be a clue to describe the diversity of this phenomenon in coastal areas. It will also give researchers the opportunity to identify poorly documented misconceptions such as e.g. the residence of certain Neolithic populations admitted as permanent, which is not necessarily correct. The mapping of preserved coastal settlements includes a large geographic region. Working in different countries will make the grey literature in these areas accessible. There will be synergies about the spatial placement and meaning of shell-middens with DC3 and DC4, and on exploitation of marine resources with DC6. Another objective of the project is to set shell-middens on the agenda regarding other types of communication of these sites to a broader community (synergies with DC10).

Expected results:
This project is based on an existing database that the candidate will have to update from the literature on the coastal archaeology in the East Atlantic from the north of the Scandinavian countries to the south of the Iberian Peninsula. The aim is to use this database to describe and understand the maritime lifestyles that gave rise to the shell-middens analysed in the project. This project will require the candidate to work on the corpus in interaction with the European researchers involved in the project. The efficiency of the database will be tested and improved for an open access querying, hosted on a national server (TGR-Humanum for France).

Activities:
- Compile archaeological data on prehistoric shell-middens.
- Establish a citizen tool accessible to researchers to compare shell-middens from different areas.
- Use geomatics statistics..
- Make the grey literature of each countries accessible.
- Work on spatial placement and meaning of shell-middens.
- Work on exploitation of marine resources.
- Update an existing database from the literature on the coastal archaeology in the East Atlantic.
- Describe and understand the maritime lifestyles of Prehistoric populations.
- Work on the corpus in interaction with the European researchers involved in the project.
- Publication.
- Oral communication.
- Academic secondments: The aim of the academic secondments is to study comparative material to complete the database. The stays will also help the candidate to interpret the synthesis made after the database. (- Spain / University of Salamanca (USAL) under the supervision of E. Álvarez-Fernández, for two months; - Spain / University of Cantabria : four months under the supervision of Pablo Arias)
- Non-academic secondments - Latvia, Riga Stradiņš University (RSU): one month.
Supervisors: Anda Rožukalne, Marta Herca, 1 month. Training in communication of research results through production of video on project-related topic.

Working skills:
- Master degree in Archaeology, Prehistory or related fields (Archaeometry, A Archaeostatistics, Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World, Maritime archaeology, Palaeobiology, Bioarchaeology)
- Scientific excellence to fit the PhD project including the comparative ArCHe-perspective: international, interdisciplinary, intersectoral and with a past-present-future perspective
- Fluent (oral and written) English skills as the project operates in English language. Knowledge of the language of the host country may be considered a merit.
- Interdisciplinary knowledge

Assessment criteria for the project proposal:
- Originality, independent thinking
- Knowledge of the state of the art and how the applicant goes beyond this- Theoretical and methodological foundation
- Scientific ambition and innovativeness
- Feasibility and progress plan
- Suitability of the proposal not least in terms of the Doctoral network thought, and specifically regarding to ArCHe
- Ethics implications

All of the above are assessed based on submitted documentation and the interview. In addition, the following soft skills are assessed during the interview:
- High motivation for doing their PhD in a MSCA-Doctoral network, and specifically ArCHe
- Flexibility
- Team-mindedness

Requested documents
- Letter of motivation with project proposal (approximately 14,000 characters including spaces, references in addition) describing how the candidate would approach the given PhD-topic, including substantial reflections (not more than 4,200 characters including spaces) on how the specific PhD-project topic will contribute to achieving the general aims of the Doctoral network ArCHe as described on the ArCHe homepage (https://www.arche.uio.no/). A progress plan should be included as well as two reference persons to be contacted by the selection committee (name, relation to candidate, e-mail address and phone number).
- CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work) with complete list of publications and academic works, proof of language proficiencies and copy of MA degree diploma(s) and academic transcripts

This offer is available in the following languages: French and English

Application deadline: February 4th, 2024

Additional information: under conditions:
- mobility allowance: EUR 600 per month.
- family allowance: EUR 495 per month

This PhD DC7 is one of the 10 PhD fellows of the Doctoral Network ArCHe “Archaeological Coastal Heritage: Past, present and future of a hidden prehistoric legacy”. The recruiting institution is the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) in the CReAAH laboratory. The place of work will mainly be the CReAAH, University of Rennes (France). Several Academic secondments will be done. The main supervisor will be Catherine Dupont (CNRS: The French National Centre for Scientific Research, France) and a co-supervision by Pablo Arias (UC: University of Cantabria, Spain). The aim of the academic secondments is to study comparative material to complete the database. The stays will also help the candidate to interpret the synthesis made awith the database. The first will host in Spain / University of Salamanca (USAL) under the supervision of E. Álvarez-Fernández, for two months. The second one will be in Spain / University of Cantabria for four months under the supervision of Pablo Arias. Non-academic secondments will be host in - Latvia, Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) for one month (Supervisors: Anda Rožukalne, Marta Herca with training in communication of research results through production of video on project-related topic).
The Doctoral Network ArCHe (https://www.arche.uio.no/) will train 10 PhD fellows for increasing the scientific and public value of Europe's archaeological coastal heritage, focusing on the legacy of Stone Age hunter-fisher-gatherers (c. 12,000–2000 calBC). Including some of the earliest remains of human activity, this fragile and very heterogeneous legacy is crucial for understanding human engagement with the coast. Today, it is embedded in a variety of geographic settings across Europe, differing in environmental development, which face massive environmental and human threats, and is approached in various ways in cultural heritage management. ArCHe addresses the challenges of this fractured field with an innovative past–present–future approach focused on connecting the legacy from the past, its present status as archaeological heritage and prospects for its future protection and integration into lived landscapes. With six beneficiaries and nine associated partners, ArCHe unites academic research centers and non-academic organizations (cultural heritage sector, specialist organizstions, museums and media). Within this joint platform for research and training, customized PhD projects will allow for cross-fertilization of knowledge among researchers and partners through scientific courses, workshops, conferences, applied secondments and transferable skills tuition. Training in archaeology, anthropology, critical heritage studies, heritage management, bioarchaeology, geology, oceanography, coastal engineering/preservation and communication relevant to coastal heritage and environment will equip the ArCHe PhDs with advanced interdisciplinary and cross-regional knowledge and skills applicable to various academic and non-academic fields across Europe. Through best practices, the PhD projects will contribute to the visibility, preservation and sustainable integration of the vulnerable cultural heritage in coastal areas facing global environmental and development challenges.

Regular travel abroad is to be expected.
The recruitment process for all Doctoral candidates in the HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN ArCHe follows a common recruitment strategy, which is based on the European Commission's Code of Conduct of Recruitment
MSCA-eligibility criteria - MSCA Mobility Rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment
- All researchers recruited in a DN must be doctoral candidates (i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment)
Necessary local eligibility criteria: 5-years degree (Master) in Archaeology, Prehistory or related fields.
Enrolment in local PhD-programme The candidate. will be registered as a doctoral student at the University of Rennes Doctoral school "Espaces, Sociétés, Civilisations" (ESC)
Appropriate academic knowledge and skills The candidate will hold a Master degree in Archaeology, Prehistory or related fields (Archaeometry, Archaeostatistics, Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World, Maritime archaeology, Palaeobiology, Bioarchaeology)